Demonstration of RIWCoS platform for future heterogeneous networks

The different wireless and wired communication technologies are converging towards a heterogeneous communication network, requiring comprehensive resource management. This paper summarizes the development of a reconfigurable mobile multi-interface terminal, enabled with efficient heterogeneous resource management architecture, called RIWCoS. The created terminal prototype is able to perform seamless vertical handovers among three different networks: Ethernet, WLAN and UMTS. RIWCoS platform utilizes IEEE 802.21 defined entities in combination with Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) application programming interface (API). The functional testing is performed through specially developed graphical user interface (GUI). The paper presents an insight of the terminal architecture and the measured results regarding the throughput and average inter-packet delay. The results can also be observed on a specially designed GUI.